Hartford Firefighter Placed On Leave After Accidental Shooting

HARTFORD — A city firefighter has been placed on administrative leave after accidentally shooting another man overnight, public safety officials said Sunday.

The victim, Jose C. Medina, 28, is in stable condition, according to police. He sustained non-life threatening injuries to his jaw and neck, Deputy Chief Brian Foley said.

No charges have been filed against the shooter, Justin M. Wood, a 25-year-old East Hartford resident and Hartford firefighter. Foley said Wood is licensed to carry a firearm and has been cooperating with detectives.

The incident remains under investigation, Foley said. According to an incident report, the shooting happened just after midnight Sunday at an apartment on Webster Street. Wood was showing Medina the handgun when it accidentally discharged, the report says. The gun had a safety mechanism, police said.

"It doesn't sound like it was anything nefarious," Foley said.

Medina was "alert" at the scene and was taken by ambulance to Hartford Hospital, where he was sent to the intensive care unit, the report says. The bullet struck Medina's left cheek, broke his jaw and lodged in his neck, according to the report.

"He is currently doing much better," Foley said Monday morning.

Wood has been placed on administrative leave until the investigation is completed, fire officials said. He has been with the department since December 2012 and is currently assigned to Engine Co. 5.

Wood's father, Michael Wood, said his son was taking the gun out of his car on Webster Street at the time of the accident because he was afraid it would get stolen. As he did so, he showed it to his friend, who he identified as Jose "Chip" Medina. Medina had asked his son to be his best man in his wedding, he said.

"He's just devastated," he said of his son.

"All my son cares about is the victim and the victim's family," Michael Wood said. "He feels for the victim's mother," who he said already lost a son to leukemia.